Chapter 12: Demoness? Silly Girl?

 

“Please, two esteemed guests, take your time!”

 

“It’s actually His Highness King of Chu and that person is from the National Duke’s Manor…”

 

“I’m going to brag about it to Erzhu next door later.”

 

The shopkeeper muttered to himself, his eyes shining with excitement as he was about to leave, but his abdomen was suddenly pressed against by a hard object.

 

Cheng Hai grasped the hilt of his sword, his cold gaze fixed on the shopkeeper: “Watch your mouth.”

 

The shopkeeper swallowed hard, his eyes darting back and forth: “Y-you can rest assured, I’ve been the most strict with my words since I was young…”

 

Cold sweat instantly drenched his inner clothes. Although the shopkeeper had a connection with a high-ranking official in the imperial court, he was still just a shopkeeper. If the other party really drew his sword and killed him, he would only end up with a miserable fate.

 

Due to not having gone out of the manor for too long, even the quiet South City made Ye Liyan feel extremely curious, her beautiful eyes sparkling behind her white veil.

 

As they left the South City, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased, and the noise grew louder.

 

The North City was a peripheral area of Tianwu City, adjacent to the city gate, with all sorts of businesses and industries. The city’s residents mostly gathered here, making it a bustling area.

 

Most of the pedestrians on the street wore rough, plain clothes, making Shen Yian and Ye Liyan’s luxurious attire stand out even more.

 

The pedestrians seemed to have a tacit understanding, intentionally avoiding them, creating a small, empty circle around the two.

 

“Next time we go out, we should wear more low-key clothes,” Shen Yian sighed lightly.

 

This feeling was like driving a car on the road and encountering a luxurious car worth millions, instinctively making way for it.

 

Everyone drove cars, but different brands and models represented different social statuses.

 

As they arrived in the North City, Ye Liyan became visibly nervous, her small hands instinctively wanting to grab the hem of the clothes of the person next to her, stretching out several times before stopping.

 

The silly girl’s small actions didn’t escape Shen Yian’s eyes.

 

If it weren’t for this damn feudalistic society, he would have directly held hands with the silly girl on the street.

 

“Don’t be nervous, I’m here with you.”

 

Shen Yian offered his sleeve.

 

“…Yes.” Ye Liyan lowered her small head, responding in a tiny voice, stretching out her two slender fingers to carefully hook onto the offered sleeve.

 

“Hot and fragrant meat buns! Big meat buns!”

 

“Welcome, esteemed guests, to the second floor!”

 

“Sugar-coated hawthorns! Delicious sugar-coated hawthorns!”

 

Shen Yian felt his sleeve suddenly tighten, and saw Ye Liyan twisting her small head, looking at the sugar-coated hawthorn vendor passing by, her red lips pursed in an attempt to resist.

 

No, I can’t stand this silly girl’s cute look.

 

“Hey, sugar-coated hawthorn vendor!”

 

Shen Yian’s loud call startled the silly girl, making her body tremble slightly.

 

“This sir!”

 

The vendor, hearing the call, quickly ran over with his sugarcane pole laden with sugar-coated hawthorns.

 

Vendor’s eyes couldn’t help but light up, looking at the handsome young master!

 

“I…I want two strings.”

 

Shen Yian hesitated for a moment before stretching out two fingers to gesture.

 

“Good sir! That’s two… copper coins.” The vendor said, clearly nervous when mentioning the price.

 

It is common for dignitaries to refuse to give money, and in the end one can only suffer in silence, go home and curse a few times.

 

Shen Yian’s smile froze, realizing he didn’t have any copper coins on him, only silver notes and silver taels.

 

“Uh, can you change a ten-tael silver note?”

 

The vendor’s mouth twitched, “Sir, you’re really joking…”. The man’s mouth twitched slightly. He couldn’t even earn ten taels of silver a year. It was obvious that he didn’t want to pay!

 

Ye Liyan gently tugged on Shen Yian’s sleeve, taking out two copper coins from her small silver pouch and handing them over.

 

Shen Yian was taken aback but didn’t hesitate, taking the coins and handing them to the vendor.

 

The vendor looked at Ye Liyan with a grateful gaze.

 

“Have a good day, both of you.”

 

After sending the two off, the vendor turned around to face Cheng Hai and his men following behind.

 

Jinxiu and Jinlian excitedly called out to the vendor, “We want two… no, five strings!”

 

The vendor’s mood suddenly became extremely happy, and business was really good today!

 

It was not until he saw Cheng Hai and the other two men, wearing armor and with murderous looks on their faces, beside the two women that his legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees.

 

“Hey?! Why are you walking so fast?!”

 

Jinlian saw Cheng Hai and his men not stopping and hurriedly called out.

 

“Silly Lian’er, they’re the prince’s bodyguards, they have important duties, hurry up and buy, and we can catch up.”

 

Jinxiu hooked her finger and tapped Jinlian’s forehead.

 

The vendor’s eyes were wide with shock as he listened to the two women’s conversation.

 

The young master who looked like a celestial being earlier was a prince?! He had actually seen a prince?! And it was in such a close proximity! Oh my, oh my, oh my!

 

A little further away, Ye Liyan faced the biggest crisis since leaving the manor.

 

The white veil hanging down from her hat had become the biggest obstacle to eating the sugar-coated hawthorn.

 

If she wasn’t careful, the white veil would get stained with sugar syrup, and if she lifted it, people would see her eyes… it was so troublesome…

 

The red, juicy sugar-coated hawthorn was right in front of her, but she couldn’t think of a way to eat it.

 

Should she use her hands to pick it up and eat it?

 

Her small hand suddenly went empty, and the sugar-coated hawthorn had already been snatched away by Shen Yian.

 

“Now you know how troublesome it is to wear that, right?” Shen Yian chuckled, stretching out his hand to grab a sugar-coated hawthorn, which was wrapped in a sugar syrup, and plucking it off the stick with his true energy.

 

“Come, I’ll feed you.”

 

Shen Yian used his fingers to hold the sugar-coated hawthorn, lifted the corner of the white veil, and fed it to her.

 

“Your Highness…”

 

“You did this when you were a kid, and now you’re embarrassed about it?” Shen Yian teased.

 

When they were young, the silly girl would feed him fruit, and he would crack open nuts to feed her.

 

Ye Liyan’s small face turned bright red, her heart filled with embarrassment, but she still obediently opened her small mouth and took a small bite of the sugar-coated hawthorn.

 

Those cherry lips made Shen Yian’s heart itch, and he really didn’t know when his old man would finally choose a good day for their wedding.

 

As they walked, Ye Liyan took out a small silver pouch and approached a beggar mother and child, intending to throw a few pieces of broken silver into their broken bowl.

 

“Grab!”

 

Shen Yian stepped forward and grabbed Ye Liyan’s small hand.

 

“Your Highness?” Ye Liyan was a little confused.

 

“Foolish girl, your kindness will harm them…”

 

Shen Yian’s cold gaze fell on the beggar mother and child, as well as several emaciated male beggars behind them, who were also watching him. Seeing Shen Yian’s extraordinary identity, the male beggars quickly got up and walked away into the alley.

 

“Clang…”

 

Several copper coins fell into the broken bowl, and Shen Yian said indifferently, “Go buy some food.”

 

“Thank you, sir… thank you, madam…” The mother and child knelt on the ground, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.

 

“Your Highness… I don’t understand…” Ye Liyan looked at the departing beggar mother and child, shaking her small head.

 

Why did Shen Yian do this? A few pieces of broken silver could let this mother and child live a good life for a while…

 

“A few copper coins can temporarily fill their bellies, but a few pieces of broken silver can harm them.”

 

A few copper coins, ordinary people could earn through hard work, but a few pieces of broken silver were equivalent to several months or even half a year’s living expenses for an ordinary family, enough to make some people’s evil intentions arise.

 

Ye Liyan’s eyelids drooped slightly, quickly understanding the deep implications of Shen Yian’s words, and a hint of worry appeared on her small face.

 

“I’ve learned, Your Highness…”

 

Shen Yian sighed inwardly, foolish girl, you’re very smart, but too kind, and excessive kindness will only invite greater evil.

 

He didn’t want Ye Liyan to become a female demon, but he also didn’t want her to become a foolish girl.

 

It wouldn’t be bad to take her out of the palace and let her see the black-and-white world.

 

They walked only twenty or thirty steps before Ye Liyan stopped in front of a vendor’s stall, picking up an exquisitely carved wooden hairpin and examining it carefully.

 

“Miss! Miss! Come and see! This vendor’s hairpins are beautiful!”

 

“Qi Yun, slow down!”

 

Hmm?

 

Qi Yun?

 

Shen Yian subconsciously turned his head to look, why did this name sound so familiar?